Treaty of Le Goulet
Encyclopedia
The Treaty of Le Goulet was signed by the kings John of England
and Philip II of France
in May 1200 and meant to settle once and for all the claims the Norman kings of England had as Norman dukes on French lands. Hence it concerned bringing an end to the war over the Duchy of Normandy
and finalising the new borders of what was left of the duchy, as well as the future relationship of the king of France and the dukes of Normandy. The treaty was a victory for Philip in asserting his legal claims to overlordship over John's French lands.
The terms of the treaty signed at Le Goulet included clarifications of the feudal relationships binding the monarchs. Philip recognised John as King of England as heir of his brother Richard I
and thus formally abandoned any support for Arthur I, Duke of Brittany
, the son of John's other older brother, Geoffrey II of Brittany
. John, meanwhile, formally recognised the new status of the lost Normandy territories by acknowledging the Counts of Boulogne
and Flanders as vassal of France, not England, and recognised Philip as the suzerain of continental possessions of the Angevin Empire
. John bound himself not to support any rebellions on the part of the counts of Boulogne and Flanders.
Philip had previously recognised John as suzerain of Anjou
and the Duchy of Brittany, but with the treaty of Le Goulet he extorted 20,000 mark
s sterling
in payment for recognition of John's sovereignty of Brittany. The king of England bound himself in all ways as a vassal to his lord. He was required to obey summons, support his lord in war with troops or money, and to make payments of special feudal dues never before exacted from his lands.
One territory of John's was not included in the treaty. The Duchy of Aquitaine was still held by John only as heir to his still-living mother Eleanor
. The treaty was sealed with a marriage alliance between the Plantagenet and Capetian
dynasties. John's niece Blanche
, daughter of his sister Leonora
and Alfonso VIII of Castile
, married Philip's eldest son, Louis VIII of France
(to be eventually known as Louis the Lion). The marriage alliance did nothing, however, except assure a strong regent for the minority of Louis IX of France
. Philip declared John deposed from his fiefs for failure to obey a summons in 1202 and war broke out again. Phillip moved quickly to seize John of England's Normandy lands, much strengthening the French throne in the process, both effectively ending England's influence on the continent (though the claim would linger) and strengthening the French central monarchy forming one of the base underpinnings of modern Europe.
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
and Philip II of France
Philip II of France
Philip II Augustus was the King of France from 1180 until his death. A member of the House of Capet, Philip Augustus was born at Gonesse in the Val-d'Oise, the son of Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne...
in May 1200 and meant to settle once and for all the claims the Norman kings of England had as Norman dukes on French lands. Hence it concerned bringing an end to the war over the Duchy of Normandy
Duchy of Normandy
The Duchy of Normandy stems from various Danish, Norwegian, Hiberno-Norse, Orkney Viking and Anglo-Danish invasions of France in the 9th century...
and finalising the new borders of what was left of the duchy, as well as the future relationship of the king of France and the dukes of Normandy. The treaty was a victory for Philip in asserting his legal claims to overlordship over John's French lands.
The terms of the treaty signed at Le Goulet included clarifications of the feudal relationships binding the monarchs. Philip recognised John as King of England as heir of his brother Richard I
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
and thus formally abandoned any support for Arthur I, Duke of Brittany
Arthur I, Duke of Brittany
Arthur I was Duke of Brittany between 1194 and 1202. He was the posthumous son of Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany and Constance, Duchess of Brittany...
, the son of John's other older brother, Geoffrey II of Brittany
Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany
Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond was Duke of Brittany between 1181 and 1186, through his marriage with the heiress Constance. Geoffrey was the fourth son of King Henry II of England and Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine.-Family:He was a younger maternal half-brother of Marie de...
. John, meanwhile, formally recognised the new status of the lost Normandy territories by acknowledging the Counts of Boulogne
Count of Boulogne
The county of Boulogne was a historical region in the Low Countries. It consisted of a part of the present-day French département of the Pas-de-Calais , in parts of which there is still a Dutch-speaking minority....
and Flanders as vassal of France, not England, and recognised Philip as the suzerain of continental possessions of the Angevin Empire
Angevin Empire
The term Angevin Empire is a modern term describing the collection of states once ruled by the Angevin Plantagenet dynasty.The Plantagenets ruled over an area stretching from the Pyrenees to Ireland during the 12th and early 13th centuries, located north of Moorish Iberia. This "empire" extended...
. John bound himself not to support any rebellions on the part of the counts of Boulogne and Flanders.
Philip had previously recognised John as suzerain of Anjou
Anjou
Anjou is a former county , duchy and province centred on the city of Angers in the lower Loire Valley of western France. It corresponds largely to the present-day département of Maine-et-Loire...
and the Duchy of Brittany, but with the treaty of Le Goulet he extorted 20,000 mark
Mark (money)
Mark was a measure of weight mainly for gold and silver, commonly used throughout western Europe and often equivalent to 8 ounces. Considerable variations, however, occurred throughout the Middle Ages Mark (from a merging of three Teutonic/Germanic languages words, Latinized in 9th century...
s sterling
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
in payment for recognition of John's sovereignty of Brittany. The king of England bound himself in all ways as a vassal to his lord. He was required to obey summons, support his lord in war with troops or money, and to make payments of special feudal dues never before exacted from his lands.
One territory of John's was not included in the treaty. The Duchy of Aquitaine was still held by John only as heir to his still-living mother Eleanor
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France and of England...
. The treaty was sealed with a marriage alliance between the Plantagenet and Capetian
Capetian
Capetian is an adjective, used to describe either:* The House of Capet, also called the Direct Capetians – the ruling family of France between 987 and 1328* The Capetian dynasty, a term applied to all direct descendants of Hugh Capet...
dynasties. John's niece Blanche
Blanche of Castile
Blanche of Castile , was a Queen consort of France as the wife of Louis VIII. She acted as regent twice during the reign of her son, Louis IX....
, daughter of his sister Leonora
Leonora of England
Eleanor of England was Queen of Castile and Toledo as wife of Alfonso VIII of Castile. She was a daughter of Henry II of England and his wife, Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine.-Early life:...
and Alfonso VIII of Castile
Alfonso VIII of Castile
Alfonso VIII , called the Noble or el de las Navas, was the King of Castile from 1158 to his death and King of Toledo. He is most remembered for his part in the Reconquista and the downfall of the Almohad Caliphate...
, married Philip's eldest son, Louis VIII of France
Louis VIII of France
Louis VIII the Lion reigned as King of France from 1223 to 1226. He was a member of the House of Capet. Louis VIII was born in Paris, France, the son of Philip II Augustus and Isabelle of Hainaut. He was also Count of Artois, inheriting the county from his mother, from 1190–1226...
(to be eventually known as Louis the Lion). The marriage alliance did nothing, however, except assure a strong regent for the minority of Louis IX of France
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
. Philip declared John deposed from his fiefs for failure to obey a summons in 1202 and war broke out again. Phillip moved quickly to seize John of England's Normandy lands, much strengthening the French throne in the process, both effectively ending England's influence on the continent (though the claim would linger) and strengthening the French central monarchy forming one of the base underpinnings of modern Europe.
Sources
- Labarge, Margaret Wade. Gascony, England's First Colony 1204–1453. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1980.